Kings, Knicks Predicted to Swap Stars in Blockbuster Offseason Trade
Kings, Knicks Predicted to Swap Stars in Blockbuster Offseason Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It was a disappointing season for the Sacramento Kings as they finished ninth in the Western Conference and failed to make the playoffs after losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the Play-In Tournament.
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Now the Kings face some key decisions to begin the offseason regarding their roster as they try to rebound from a season full of change.
Of course, Sacramento already made some major moves by hiring a new general manager and officially naming Doug Christie as their head coach.
Now their attention shifts to their roster, primarily their star trio of Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) and guard Malik Monk (0) walk up the court against the Minnesota Timberwolves© Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
There is belief around the NBA that they will move at least one of these players to try and retool their roster.
With this in mind, Sports Illustrated's Will Zimmerle recently proposed a mock trade that would see the Kings and New York Knicks swap their star centers.
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In the trade, Zimmerle has Sacramento sending Sabonis, Devin Carter and a the Minnesota Timberwolves 2031 first-round pick to New York in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns.
This would be an interesting move for both teams, especially the Kings as they would send away one of their star players and potentially their point guard of the future to add Towns.
New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony TownsTrevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Of course, Towns is a great offensive center and he is also a great defender, but he struggles on the defensive end, which was seen during New York's playoff run.
Because of this, Sacramento may be better off just keeping Sabonis who is an elite rebounder and has also been a great scorer for them during his time with the franchise.
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The Kings would also have to give up Carter who showed flashes during his rookie season of eventually becoming Sacramento's new point guard after they traded De'Aaron Fox at the trade deadline.
Jan 3, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter (22) dribbles the ball against the Memphis Grizzlies during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center.© Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Due to this, the Kings may be better off keeping Carter and if they end up trading Sabonis, they could instead look to add multiple pieces to upgrade their bench rather than acquiring another star.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
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